Harmony Forgot Nobody

Dear Princess Celestia,

I haven't learned anything new about friendship to write to you, as that isn't my purpose in creating this letter.  I apologize a thousand times in advance if it isn't in my place to do so, but I'm writing to you with a question instead of an answer to one.  Once again, I'm very terribly sorry if I'm not very well permitted to write for any other purpose than the study of the magic of friendship, but, if it's perfectly alright with you, so long as it is proper, only if I'm not crossing any boundaries, and again I apologize for making such a request, but I need... A bit of advice.

Yesterday while working on one of my latest project of which I have enclosed a full report, patent, summary, blueprint, and diagnostic sheets from the first test run, I was, sad to say, unlucky enough to meet a certain stallion.  I never got his name but it seemed as though he didn't want to tell me either.  My machine broke down and he did manage to fix it, even with my... Stubbornness at the time... And made off without so much of a goodbye but an insult instead.  He was gray all over and you could see his unicorn horn poking out of his extremely unkempt hair.  Out of everypony I've met in Ponyville since I've arrived here, he was by far the least fun to talk to.  He's the only pony I wish I could have kept from meeting, even though it feels wrong of me to say.  He seemed ignorant, and you couldn't look at him without zoning out or staring as if into empty space.  It was a very odd thing, really.  My mind went completely blank when I looked at him directly, as did Spike's.  Granted, that's something Spike is a bit more known for, but it was still very unusual and unnatural.  In addition, he seems to have certain knowledge of old, runic magic that puts symbols into use.  I've found several books on the subject and read each of them three times over, but even now my knowledge of this kind of magic is vague at best.  This unicorn clearly has access to information that I, a high level unicorn with full access to every tome and scroll in Canterlot's extensive collection, do not.

All of this, however, isn't the true reason why I'm writing.  I had a... Disturbing dream.  It was a rather pleasant one at first, but went horribly awry.  This part I dread in telling due to the reason why it was at first enjoyable.  In the dream, me and the stallion I just spoke of were walking together as if we were a couple.  Looking back, now fully awake, I can hardly stomach the idea of somepony so rude and so prone to ignorance being who I choose as my special somepony.  But back to the subject at hand, we were walking together and making light conversation.  He then stopped and asked a favor.  He asked me if I was one of the Elements of Harmony, and, as I recall, asked if I thought it was possible for the power of the Elements of Harmony to overlook or simply pass over ponies in need of its power.  He referred specifically to the ponies that were, “Discorded” in the time of Discord's rise to power.  Such ponies, me and my friends included, turned completely gray and their personalities changed to something opposite of themselves.  I told him it was impossible for the Elements of Harmony to simply ignore ponies in need.  I remember clearly that my particular wording was, “Harmony forgot nobody.”  I admit it was a poor choice of wording but do keep in mind I wasn't conscious at the time and couldn't catch my mistake.  It's this next part, however, that troubles me.  He smiled at the words as if I had said something right but he looked so obviously pained by them, as if it was something very hurtful to say.  He chanted the words in different configuration.  “The Elements of Harmony forgot Nobody...  Nobody is the one Harmony forgot... Harmony forgot Nobody.” If this wasn't unsettling enough, Discord himself appeared behind the stallion and, as if in reply to the colt's words, “And it's just killing him.”

Discord snapped his fingers and made the ground disappear from under me so that I was falling, and eventually fell into what I thought was water that was freezing over, but at the same time, boiling.  It's very strange.  I woke up from the dream in a cold sweat, and Spike tells me that I sat up screaming.  What really bothers me, though, is what this all has to do with Discord.  The stallion mentioned the, “Discorded,” as he called them, and asked specifically if I thought the Elements of Harmony might have forgotten to cure one of these afflicted ponies.  He himself does look like, and maybe even behaves like one who has been twisted by Discord's powers and manipulation, what with his completely gray color scheme and negative outlook, but that could never be the case, right?  The Elements of Harmony cured everypony.  There is still something very unnatural about him.  I've never had that vivid a dream before either.  I'm thinking that the dream might mean something.  I'm asking you for your opinion.  Do you think I should investigate this, or am I wasting valuable study time thinking about it?

Your humble student,

Twilight Sparkle

My dearest student,

I have said before that not every letter you write to me has to be a lesson in friendship.  It's nice to get out of that tedious schedule from time to time, as much as I enjoy hearing about you and your friends.  I'm very happy you've decided to share your troubles with me, but you don't need to be so formal with all this.  There's no need to apologize for simply asking for help.

This seems to be a very interesting device with many valuable uses, but I don't think a full diagnostic, patent, and blueprint was necessary.  That said, I'm still very proud.  Luna used to experiment with wooden contraptions back when we were both fillies.  It was a very different time then.  There wasn't a lot of metal being put to use anywhere other than on the battlefield, but some craftsponies made tinker-toys out of wood that Luna would collect, take apart, and re-assemble.  It was very funny seeing her get so exited when they came to life as she turned the crank of each after putting them back together.  Her face would light up brighter than my sun and it would always make me smile to see her so proud of herself.  I'm getting a bit off-topic, now.

Getting back to the subject at hand, I cannot say if the Elements of Harmony may have overlooked somepony somewhere.  I have little more understanding of them than you do, as I've only put them to use a few times myself.  As great and mighty a power they hold, it may have its reasons for skipping somepony.  While it seems entirely impossible, I might see some reason for the elements to overlook such an affliction as being altered by Discord's magic.  Though, there isn't much I can say about it, really.  There's little chance for this stallion of yours to have much to do with Discord in any way, but your description of him does pique my curiosity.  My own knowledge of rune magic is vague at best, which makes me wonder who this stallion's teacher was.  Certainly no one of my knowledge.  It's a lost art and most tomes or scrolls with more detailed description were lost quite some time ago.  It is possible this pony has his own collection.  The chance to bring back such such an ancient art is reason enough to pursue him.

Perhaps, however, there's more to this investigation than you would like to believe?  In the dream, you two were a couple?  Are you sure these concerns about somepony that you've never met before and still don't know the name of, no less interacted with for such a short span of time, is less about what makes him strange and more about you?  You make it sound as though you do have a crush on him.  It is with a very light heart and a very wide grin that I write this, as you've never expressed any interest in any stallion before.  This is the first you've written about a colt and I would love to hear more if you decide to learn more about him.  Though I may be a princess, I have an admitted soft spot for gossip.  I encourage you to follow this pursuit wherever it may lead.  If not for your own interest in him, then for your own peace of mind or the chance to learn more about rune magic.

With high hopes for you,

Celestia

Twilight's eye twitched slightly upon finishing Celestia's letter.  Her mouth quivered and her expression contorted to several different versions of frustration, irritation, and aggravation.  She let out a huff and tossed the letter aside.

“A crush!  Hmph!  As if I would ever stoop so low as to find an interest in THAT stallion!” She trots over to one of the many shelves, searching for a particular book.

Spike, picking up the letter, walks over to Twilight.  His eyes follow the lines of text as he speaks, “She does have a point.  This is the first time you've ever really talked about any boy before.”

The mare's eyes are like daggers when she glares at her assistant. “That's not true!  I've written about Big Mac before.”

“So you like Big Mac, now?”

Twilight's face goes blank, then contorts back into an even harsher glare. “Wh– NO!  I don't have a crush on anypony!” She stomps over to the next series of shelves as her assistant continues.

“You've only mentioned Big Machintosh in letters about Applejack.  In the letter you sent this morning, you went into a lot more detail than just a name.  And you did say that in your dream– ”

“I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON ANYPONY!!” Twilight's yell could have been heard across Ponyville, possibly scaring quite a few ponies on the street.  She scolds Spike, trotting up close and nearly pressing her nose against his as she talks through gritted teeth. “I don't have a crush.  Not on Big Machintosh, and certainly not on this stallion.  My interest in him is purely for figuring out what's so wrong about him.  There's just something not right about all this and it bothers me.  Despite that, this is also an excellent opportunity to learn about rune magic.  That's it.  No crush.  No love interest.  No date.  No special somepony this or star crossed lovers that.  It's... Just... Research.” After having made her point clear, she trots back to another bookshelf, scanning the various volumes for a certain title.

“Research, huh?  Could've fooled me.” Spike mutters, crossing his arms.  He raises and inquiring hand, “If this is just research, then why try and find him at all?  He seems to be getting by and isn't bothering anypony.  Is it really right to get involved in somepony else's business in the first place?  Besides, how are you even going to find him?  You don't even know his name.”

Twilight finds the book she was searching for and levitates it from the shelf, making it follow her as she gets her saddlebags. “The sooner he proves to indeed be nothing to worry about then the sooner I can forget all about him and move on.  I have to see if there's anything to this feeling I have.  I don't usually have such vivid dreams, and I just feel like this means something.”

Spike smiles deviously, pointing. “Means you like him.”

Twilight stomps, whining, “It does not!”

Spike chuckles as the purple mare slings her saddlebags over her back and prepares to leave. “Now how will you find love with an attitude like that?  Try and act cute if you want his attention!”

Twilight growls, opening the door. “Goodbye, Spike.” She slams the door hard as she leaves.  Spike was obviously going to be of no help.  She had to form a plan of some sort if she was meant to make any observations.  First, she had to find out who this pony was and where she could find him.  She had never seen this pony before yesterday, so it was possible he didn't even live in Ponyville at all.  All she really had to go on was the memory of what he looked like, and the strange feeling that set him apart from most ponies.  She couldn't put her hoof on what it was that made him so strange, but she did, however, have an idea for getting more information about him and find out for herself.

“Did he have hair like fwoof-fwoo-foo,” The pink pony's arms raise above her head and waggle around, “Mouth like blehmehmehmehmeh,” Her hooves make a dribble-drabble movement in front of her muzzle, “Eyes like,” Pinkie Pie's expression suddenly becomes bored and stony, before turning back to her happy self, “And an attitude like,” She flops onto the ground, letting out a deep sigh of aggravation.  She hops back upright with a wide grin. “Is that like him?”

“Er, that certainly sounds like him, yes.” Twilight stares, a bit confused, but certainly amused.

“Okay, now did he walk more like this,” She asks as her legs flop, flow, and drag forward. “Or like this?” She takes out a white fedora, placing it atop her head along with dark glasses before doing the same leg motion, but moving backward in a perfect moonwalk across the floor of Sugarcube Corner as her head bobs like a chicken. “Hoo-hoo!” She does a swift turn and stands upright, a hoof raised high in the air, head turned away, and the other hoof over her crotch as she lets out the signature sounds of Michael Stallion, “Oww!  Sham-aoun!” She moonwalks back, passing Twilight's blank expression, speaking again, “Like this?  Oh, Filly-Jean is not my love-er.  She's just a girl, who thinks, I am the one!”

“Umm... How do you do that?” The purple unicorn stared at Pinkie's hind hooves as they glided across the ground.  She couldn't understand how she could look like she was going forward, but go in the other direction instead.  She shakes off such thoughts. “No, more like the first one.  Dark, gray, depressing, messy hair, unicorn, stallion, taller than Big Mac but a lot slimmer, negative,”  Twilight's gaze into empty space becomes a glare as she recalls the details. “Snide remarking, disrespecting, rude, informal, and simply hard to look at.” She huffs in disgust at the thought of the stallion.

“Oh-oh-oooohh!” Pinkie tosses the hat and glasses away, out of sight, and hops gleefully around Twilight. “Nope!”

“But–”

“Nuh-uh!  I don't know anypony in Ponyville like that!”

“But you know everypony in Ponyville!  You said so yourself!  Surely you know something.” Twilight's expression turns to one of concern. “Are you sure you haven't seen him before?”

“Sure I've seen him!” She continues hopping, making Twilight continually turn her head back and forth to try and keep talking to her directly as Pinkie circles.

“Then why did you say you didn't?”

“I never said I didn't!” Pinkie smiles brightly.

Twilight begins turning around in circles to keep a steady gaze on the bouncing pony. “You said you didn't know anyone in–”

“In Ponyville like that!  Yep!  He doesn't live in Ponyville, silly!”

The constant turning was making Twilight dizzy. “Ergh... Well, then... Why didn't you just...” Twilight wobbles, her hooves slipping out from under her and making her fall onto her back with a thud.

Pinkie nearly presses her forehead against Twilight's, her face inches away and appearing upside down to Twilight.  She was standing over the unicorn's head, looking down. “He lives in the Everfree Forest!  Kinda like Zecora!  I've never seen where he lives, but that's where he goes after he comes to the market every Tuesday and Thursday for dried fruits and nuts.”

Twilight gets up, somewhat intimidated by the uncomfortable closeness of the pink mare. “Do you know his name?”

Pinkie smiles, “Nopi-nopi-nope!  He never told me his name.  Just kept calling me... Er...” She puts a hoof to her chin. “Cret... Cret-in-oose...”

“Cretinous?” Twilight asks, her ears going down and her eyes falling half open in lack of surprise.

“Yuppy-yup!  Cretinous, inane, fatuous, puerile, and a bunch of other names I don't know.  I think it was very nice of him to call me such fancy things!”

Twilight puts her hoof to her forehead. “No, he wasn't... Er... Nevermind.  Can you tell me anything else about him?  Where I can find him?  Anypony he knows?  If he won't come back to Ponyville until Tuesday, then can you tell me anything about where I can find him before then?  This is important and I can't wait four days to speak with him.”

“Well...” Pinkie thinks back for a few moments, her normal voice slurring as she ponders. “I don't know.  I can't look at him for long until my head goes all wonky.” Pinkie rubs the sides of her head to illustrate her point, smiling. “It's like it goes all empty!  And after my head went all wonky and empty and enky-wompty, he'd just walk away until I got my Pinkie back in me so I could go up to him and try to talk to him again!” She bounces around Twilight again.  This time, Twilight refuses to try and keep her gaze fixed on the bubbly, bouncy mare. “I think he might have said something about a creek when my head was all empty, though.  I think it was,” She puts on the best bored face she can and slumps very obviously onto the ground, her voice getting deep and dark. “Just leave me alone.  The sooner I can get the supplies I need, the sooner I can get back to my meditations by the calming waters of the forest creek.  I much prefer the feeling of moss and stone beneath my hooves than your callow insistence on stepping into other ponies' business.”

Twilight thinks this over as Pinkie begins bouncing around her again. “That certainly sounds like him.”

“Then he wrote a funny looking squiggly thing on my forehead that made my mouth too numb to talk!” She smiles, tapping her hoof to her forehead. “I had to go home and wash the ink off before I could say another word!  It was supio-dupio coolio!  I went out looking for him again when I washed it off, but I couldn't find him.”

“That must be him!” Twilight stomps confidently. “He's the only pony I've ever met who can use rune-spells!  It sounds like I can find him somewhere around the only creek in the Everfree Forest I know of.  Thank you, Pinkie!” Twilight begins trotting to the door and making her exit.

“Let me know when he asks you on a date!”

Twilight freezes in place.  She turns, “What?!  Did Spike–”

“When you walked in, I got a tail-twitchy, hoof- antsy, heart-poundy!  That means you have a crush!”

Twilight's face contorts to all manner of frustration, irritation, aggravation, and humiliation before she turns and leaves, shouting, “I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH!!”

_ _ _

Peace... Such quiet and serene peace...

Few could know the sound of silence as this stallion did.  Here he sat quietly upright, eyes closed, listening closely to the words of the creek as it flowed eternally onward.  If you were to look at him, with his coat and mane in shades of gray, you might mistake this unicorn for a statue.  He kept just as still as one, and just as quiet.  Though he was silent, the thoughts in his head were bothering him with their surprising volume.

He opens his eyes and looks down from the dull white rock he sits upon.  Half of this monstrous rock, worn smooth by time, was buried deep within the ground away from the creek; making the rest of the mass of granite point forward over the water and towards the sky.  The stallion perched himself on the flat tip that hung over the water, and simply looked down at where the creek ran through a reflective pool before continuing on its journey somewhere far away.  The tree line broke a few yards away from either side of the running water, but their wide canopy offered a cooling shade unto the shores.  The sun had begun sinking in the sky, but its rays still flowed onto the reflecting pool and made it shimmer with the luster of gold while the green from beneath the clear water made it appear as if encrusted with the deepest shade of emerald.  This was, however, just an ordinary pool of water no more special than the rest of the waters that flowed through the creek.  The rock this unicorn was perched was nothing special at all and in fact a very common mineral.  This stallion himself was no one very special either, though most would agree that he was rather unusual.  If you had the heart or the courage to ask his name, he might have ignored you as if you weren't there or told you, “I'm nobody.”

But now, something was bothering him.  He stared down at his reflection in the pool and cocked his head to one side.  He couldn't quite grasp it, but something was different about him today.  He placed a hoof to his chest.  It felt heavier, weighed down by something unfamiliar.  When he did so, the image of the purple mare he met the day before flashes in his mind for a brief moment.

“Twilight...” The name broke the silence, making the hazardous forest around this stallion seem to stand stiff as if something had just gone wrong.  He recalled that this was the name that dragon, Spike, called her.  If any other pony were in his position right now, their brow would be slanted downward in confusion, but this stallion's face remained static and unchanged.  Why did he remember this?  She wasn't very significant nor important to his affairs, and yet he remembered her name.  For that matter, he remembered the name of that dragon.  This made more sense, as he had never seen a dragon before and it was a very interesting thing to see a dragon, especially a baby dragon, in Ponyville.  But what was special about this mare?  He had seen countless earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns before.  What made this mare any different from any other pony?

“Twilight...” He repeated the name, staring at his reflection in the pool and putting his hoof from his heart to his chin in contemplation. “Hmph.” He disregards it, thinking that maybe this heavy feeling in his chest had more to do with gastric distress instead of some pony he didn't know.  He closes his eyes and relaxes his body, taking a long, deep, breath.  He took in the silence, the peace, the serenity.  It seemed almost as if nothing could ruin this moment.

Like nothing would break the silence...

Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-

The stallion sighs.  Of course.  This had to happen now, of all times.  He turns his unchanged face to look over his shoulder and back at the shore of the creek.  The image of a giant hamster-wheel immediately caught his attention.  The second, and less important detail was the thing running inside this wheel.  It was a very tall, serpentine figure whose body looked more like a composite mix of all sorts of creatures.  His right arm was that of a lion, while his left was that of an avian.  His left leg was that of a minotaur while his right was something reptilian and scaly.  He sported a long flowing dragon's tail in addition to a blue feathery wing beside a purplish bat wing, both securely on his back.  His gray face resembled a donkey more than a pony, and was accentuated by a long white goatee and bushy white eyebrows.  This particular character sounded remarkably like John de Lancie in voice.

Discord, with an extremely bored expression, was running round and round in an irritatingly squeaky hamster-wheel fixed to be about his size.  He whines.

“Oh why must I be stuck with the most monotonous pony in existence?  There's nothing to do around here!  You just sit there and do nothing for hours on end while I'm left to wither away in boredom!” He puts his wrist against his forehead as if in grief.

The stallion on the rock simply turns his head back and closes his eyes again.  Discord lets out a huff, snapping his fingers and making the hamster-wheel disappear.  He paces.

“It isn't bad enough that I get trapped in stone for another few centuries, the only pony that can see me now is you.” He appears directly in front of the stallion now, floating in the air. “Blegh!  Boring, dull, doldrumatic and monochromatic you.  Why don't you do something?  Anything!  I can't stand this stupid creek anymore!  Go off and fight a manticore!  Walk into a dragon's den!  Paint your coat a new color for my sake.  I mean, I like gray.  It shows me who my friends are and who I've already toyed with, but it just gets so dull sometimes!  After having seen the same gray pony a hundred times a day you start to just yawn at the sight of him!  I don't understand why you can't at least go to Ponyville more often.  At least things are actually happening there.  Here it's just a stupid rock,” He taps his talons against the granite, “And this stupid river!” He spits into the running water. “It's too quiet!” He slaps his hands to his face and continues whining. “Going back to just being a lifeless statue is almost preferable to being a figment of your nonexistent imagination!”

The stallion keeps still, remarking, “Then why don't you?  You're interrupting my meditations and I'd rather if you did stay in Canterlot gardens instead of pestering me, who you've already warped beyond comprehension.”

“Oh don't be so dramatic.” Discord makes a toothpick appear in his lion hand and begins picking his teeth, leaning his bird arm against the rock as he stands mere feet above the water. “I just revised your attitude and stole your memories is all.  Made you an emotionless husk of a pony.” He begins laughing uncontrollably, curling up in the air with his hands on his belly. “You should have seen this other pony!  Rarity!  I made her think a giant boulder was a diamond!  A diamond!  Haha!  She named it Tom!  Of all names for a rock, why Tom?! Hahahaaa!” His legs kick at the air as he wails with laughter.

“I know.” The stallion sighs. “You've only told me a few hundred times.”

Discord immediately stands upright again. “Oh you're no fun.  It's bad enough that I'm powerless and limited to your field of vision, but why must you be so booooring!”

The stallion doesn't respond, keeping his eyes closed and taking deep breaths in a kind of serene peace few could achieve with such aggravation, though he didn't feel anything of the sort.  He didn't feel anything at all.  He was an empty husk of a pony.  Whatever he was before had been taken away long ago, back when Discord was still in power.  He could hardly remember anything from that time, or for that matter anything before he was made into whatever he was now.  Certainly not a pony.  Ponies have emotions, goals, a sense of achievement and belonging.  This stallion had none.  He hadn't the least idea why Discord kept appearing to him either, but he assumed that it had something to do with being the only one left Discorded after the Elements of Harmony changed everything back.  It didn't matter much.  Nothing mattered.  Everything was simply tolerable.

Discord scratches his chin, assessing the situation before smiling maliciously.

“Do you want to know how it happened?  You don't have any memory of anything before I made you my pet.  You were cowering, running scared.  You should feel lucky that I chose you.  Not everypony got to leave their emotions and memories behind.  Such trivial things.  Material things.  Having emotions only means they'll get hurt in the end.  Twisted and turned around so that what made you so happy becomes the very thing that grieves you most.  I saved you from such a fate, and I'd say you're in my debt.”

The stallion sits silently, ignoring Discord.  The serpentine figure twiddles his thumbs for a few moments, waiting for some kind of response.  When none comes, his voice becomes a bit unsure.

“You can't seriously just be content sitting there all day, can you?  Don't you want to, I don't know, try and cure yourself?  Undo the damage?  Go out and try to find who you were before?”

“No.” is the simple answer that comes from the stallion's lips.

“Wh–” Discord scratches his head in confusion. “Well why not?!  You can't be content with yourself the way you are now!  I mean look at you!  You're an empty shell with nothing but dust in it and you just sit here all day in silence without trying to do anything to change it!  You live under a tree!  A tree!  And all you eat is trail mix.  Those nuts and dried fruit you get from town.  It's disgusting.  Do you feel no shame?”

“No.  You took away my emotions.”

Discord growls, regretting this particular action from when he was free. “You are Discorded.  The title has my name in it!  You are under my power!”

“Okay.”

“Wh– No!  Not okay!  Because I'm stuck with you now and you refuse to do anything I tell you to!”

“Because you're a manipulative monster who only cares for his own goals and entertainment.”

Discord seats himself beside the stallion. “Bah.  You're no fun.  You're too sure of yourself... Or not sure of yourself – I don't know!  You're just a mindless zombie and yet you seem to know what you're doing.  What are you doing, anyway?” He shakes his head, “Never-mind.  Doesn't matter.  I'm just talking to a little colt lost in the woods without any idea how he got there in the first place.”

There's a long silence, a moment of peace where the babbling sound of the water below the two seems to drown everything else out of mind.

Discord rolls his eyes in aggravation. “You can't even remember your name.  You don't know who you were, where you lived, what you owned, you don't even know who your friends were if you had any at all.”

The stallion pauses before speaking, his voice dark, clear, and smooth. “I might be insulted by the fact that you think you can get a rise out of me if I didn't pity you more.  After all, I'm your only entertainment for the next century and I'm well aware of how worthless I am as an entertainment piece and as a pony in general.”

“Oh don't be so depressing.” Discord looks down at the running water, thumping his avian fingers against the rock below him. “You're such a downer sometimes.” A smile creeps its way across his face as he turns to the stallion as if to lie on his belly, hands supporting his chin as his legs kick at the air behind him.  He was floating again and doing his best to look like a gossipy schoolgirl.  “Hey!  Look on the brighter side of things!  You met a mare yesterday!” Discord gets up close against the stallion, nudging him with his elbow as he hoots wildly. “You have a crush on her, don'cha?  You've been thinking about her all morning!  So what is it?  Do you long to gaze into her amethyst eyes?  To hold her close and protect her?  Or does she just turn you on?”

How Discord could read his thoughts, the stallion didn't care much to know.  He was thinking about the purple mare from the other day, sure, but wasn't quite sure why.  He certainly wasn’t having any such thoughts as those mentioned, or so he thought. “You should know that  because of you, I am incapable of feeling such emotion.”

“Oh pish-posh!  Nonsense!” Discord smiles, standing on the unicorn's head as the poor colt tries to continue his meditation.  “You feel emptiness, don't you?  The painful, bitter embrace of the frozen abyss that is mortal existence?  The harsh realities behind honesty, loyalty, kindness, laughter, generosity, and friendship?  The gaping hole between you and what you want?”

The dark empty feeling in the stallion's chest seems to grow at these words.  He takes a hoof to it as if to clutch a wound.

Discord smiles at this effect. “Of course you do!  Now, if you can feel all those negative things, you should just as well be able to feel happiness... Love...” Discord uses his flexibility to continue standing on the unicorn's head, but at the same time look him directly in the face, his muzzle only inches from the colt's.  He raises his brow and his smile climbs as he slowly utters the words, “Lust!  Of course, I won't make it easy for you, but you can find happiness.  I hope you do!” The serpentine demon stands upright again. “I love happy ponies! They're the best to toy with!  To see all that joy crashing down to rubble...” Discord's spine quakes as he shudders, biting his knuckle. “It's delicious!  So,” He snaps his fingers, making a screen appear in front of them.  This warped frame flickers before viewing a certain lavender unicorn, breathing heavily, saddlebags draped over her back as she makes her way through the thick foliage of a dark forest.  Discord continues, curling an arm around the gray pony beside him and gesturing to the mare in the image as she continues toiling forward, “Why not give it a shot?  You two are perfect for eachother!  You're both bookworms, you're both good with the wibbly-wobbly stuff you do with the forehead thingamabob, and you're both absolutely no fun.” Discord flicks the unicorn's horn, “And here's something!  You show no emotion at all while she's the most emotional pony I've ever had the...” He rolls his hand in the air, his face becoming stern for a moment. “Pleasure... Of meeting.” After this, he innocently touches his index fingers together. “She completes you.” Having made his point, he rolls onto his back lazily. “I mean, come on.  You're a stallion, she's a mare.  It fits, so get down to bid-ness!” He makes a large pelvic thrust in the air above him.

The stallion's eyes, having been open since the screen before them appeared, were transfixed on the purple pony as she clumsily stumbles along through the trees. “Is this image in real time?” He asks in concern.

“Hm?  Oh, yes.  That's really her and that's really what she's doing now.” Discord puts on a pair of sunglasses as he begins to start sunbathing, taking out some tanning oil and smearing it on his chest.

The gray unicorn watches the screen. “She's in this forest.  Why would she venture out here alone with nothing to protect herself?”

“Well you have those scribbles on your hooves that you use to fend things off.  Don't worry about it!  She's fine.  She can fend for herself.”

The stallion gasps as a large vine climbs up Twilight's leg and yanks her up into the trees.  A loud scream echoes through the forest from behind the two simply sitting on the rock.  Discord raises his glasses from his face, “Huh.  Well then.” Disinterested, he puts the glasses back on and continues his tanning.  The stallion, however, rises from his perch and begins rushing toward where he heard the cry.  He leaps into the dense foliage of the Everfree as he begins chanting.  Glowing red lines and runic letters appear on his face and arms as he goes, speaking louder and louder.  Two balls of fire form at his sides as he comes upon the spot, looking up to see the helpless unicorn was unconscious.  She was woven in a cocoon what looked to be a spider's web, but was made entirely from thick discolored vine.  Immediately getting to work, the stallion gestures forward with his hoof, causing the balls of fire to swipe at the vines like blades, freeing Twilight from her imprisonment, and making her fall from the canopy.  The gray pony catches her on his back, noticing her slightly mangled saddlebags nearby.  He takes them up in his mouth and begins to carry her off to safety.